Alabama's House of Representatives passes bill to keep drivers from texting

There's really no question about whether it's dangerous to write or read text messages while you're supposed to be driving a car. Nobody multitasks well enough to type, read and keep an eye on the road, much less watch out for what other traffic is doing.

Those who consider themselves an exception too often prove the rule: Driving while texting is a deadly combination.

The only question, really, is whether driving while texting should be against the law as well as plain stupid.

The state House of Representatives said yes last week, voting 92-4 to bar motorists from sending or reading text messages while they're behind the wheel.

A Senate committee Tuesday approved a similar bill, which should have a shot at passing the Senate. In an Associated Press survey of lawmakers before the legislative session, 77 percent of senators who responded said they would support such a bill.

And with good reason.

Text messages have been linked to many traffic tragedies, including a commuter train wreck in California last year that killed 25 people. Yet, one driver in five indulges in this bad habit, and among younger drivers, the rate is almost twice as high, according to a Nationwide Insurance study.

Those who see this ban as an extension of a meddling, nanny state need to ask themselves what traffic laws are for if not to protect citizens using public highways. Why have speed limits? Why outlaw drunken driving? As with those laws, it would be different if distracted drivers put only their lives on the line, but they don't. Their distraction can be our death.

Seven states already prohibit drivers from sending text messages while they're on the road. At least nine other states place the restrictions on teenagers or inexperienced drivers, which in our view, makes little sense. No driver is experienced enough to safely engage in text-messaging while traveling down the road.

One of the few House votes against it came from state Rep. Spencer Collier, a former state trooper who contended the text-messaging ban would be hard to enforce. That may be so; Collier has experience in that regard most of us don't have.

But having a law on the books will have a positive effect. Drivers will be more attuned to the dangers of text-messaging, and some may even change their behavior to abide by the law. To the extent they do, highways will be safer for all of us.